Innocence
by Kinpaginpa
Summary: A short, cute story following young Sora and Riku as they explore the island and meet Kairi for the first time.
1. Prologue

Well, here goes my first fanfic! I hope you guys like it. This story is kind of like my take on what happened before the first game. Sora and Kairi are eight and Riku is nine, so they're just little guys. I hope it works out 8D.

Disclaimer- I do not own Square Enix, Kingdom Hearts, or any of its characters.

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**Prologue**

In a small village on a tiny island, little things can turn into bigger things, things that change and flow, never ending in a constant on-going river of time. Sometimes destiny comes and sweeps us off our feet, to places in the fast-paced world where nothing stops or pauses, especially at times when we are least expecting it. Everything happens for a reason, even if we can't see how it's going to work out.

"The blue moon is a time for celebration!"

That was a statement everyone agreed with on Destiny Island. The village square was filled with lights, booths, and confetti on one summer night when the blue moon chose to appear. All the noise and fun was focused on that part of town, far away from the quiet house where all that could be heard was the small cry of a newborn child.

A fragile baby boy clung to his mother as she held him to her. Finally the labor was over and she was holding her first son. It was what Ayami had been waiting for these past nine months. Sitting on the bed next to her was her best friend, Riama, who was holding her own son, Riku, who had just turned one.

"So what are you going to name your baby boy?" Riama asked her quietly as the newborn's cries subsided.

"Well it will be something handsome and majestic." Ayami decided. "Riku's name means land and shore, right? So my child will be the opposite, the sky. They say opposite ends attract, and I want our sons to hold a true friendship. My son's name will be… Sora."

"Sora is lucky to have such a wonderful mother." Riama replied as she stood up. "I must go now, but I will be back in the morning. Good night Sora."

Riama walked to the door, cradling Riku in her arms, and left to find her husband.

Later that night, Ayami lay in her bed, not able to fall asleep. Every five minutes she got up and crossed the room, checking on her little boy fast asleep in his crib. She reached down and ran her hand over his head, smiling down at him. Suddenly the sound of the doorbell sounded throughout the house, causing Ayami to jump a couple inches.

She stood up, shaking slightly, and crossed the room, nervously approaching the front door. She opened it a little bit, peering onto her front porch, and saw a man in a pilot's uniform. As she opened the front door, the man let his gaze fall to the floor and said apologetically,

"I have some unfortunate news for you ma'am."

Back in the bedroom, Sora turned un-easily in his crib.

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Okay, so this is just the prologue and the next chapter will be longer, I promise. I hope you all liked it okay. Please review so I can know what you think. I'm open to any suggestions because, like I said, this is my first fanfic. 


	2. A meteor shower?

Well here comes the next chapter! I hope you guys like how this story goes, and please review when you're finished reading, it would mean so much to me!

Disclaimer- No, I don't own square enix, kingdom hearts, or any of its characters. (I think the people who created the game just like reading this. JK! I love you guys!)

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"**A meteor shower?"**

"_Happy Birthday to you!_

_Happy Birthday to you!_

_Happy Birthday Dear Sora!_

_Happy Birthday to you!"_

"Make a wish!" Selphie exclaimed as she leaned over the table.

Sora closed his eyes and thought for a moment. He was now eight, so he needed to make a grown up wish this year.

"Well, I have lots of friends; Riku, Wakka, Tidus, and Selphie." Sora thought to himself. "My favorite thing to do is play with them, so I guess I will wish that I will make a new friend soon, so we can have even more fun."

Keeping this thought in his head, Sora opened his eyes and blew as hard as he could. To his delight, all the candles went out.

"Yay! Now your wish will come true!" Tidus said from across the table.

"What did you wish for?" Riku asked his friend.

"I can't tell you!" Sora said indignantly. "Else it won't come true!"

"Ahh, you don't really believe that do you?" Riku looked at Sora.

Sora was about to reply when his mother came from behind him and wrapped him in a big hug.

"Ooooh! I can't believe my little guy is already eight! Stop growing so fast Sora! I can't keep up with you!"

"I'll try Mom!" Sora said as she let go of him.

She laughed and rumpled his spiky hair that stuck up all over the place. Then she went back to talk with Riama.

Riku laughed and said "Moms!"

Sora just smiled at him and then turned to Wakka

"Thanks for the blitzball Wakka! Do you want to go out back and play a game?"

"Yah!" all the boys said jumping from the table and running for the back door.

Selphie got up and followed them.

"That's all they ever want to play!"

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At six every one went home except Riku, who was going to spend the night. Sora stood on the porch and waved until he could no longer see the car Tidus was in.

The two boys walked back into the house and down the hallway, turning left at the end into Sora's bedroom. Sora's walls were covered with posters of famous blitzball players and above his bed was a small wooden sword resting on a shelf. A of a pirate ship hung from the ceiling that he and Riku had made together. His normal mess of toys and clothes were put away for the occasion, but his mother knew the mess would return by the next morning.

"Let's play Island Racers Sora." Riku said as he pulled a game of the shelf.

"Ok!" Sora replied simply and plopped down on the bed with a controller in his hand. The two boys raced on all the courses, and Riku beat Sora every time.

"Dang it! I almost got you that time!" Sora exclaimed at the end of their tenth race.

"In your dreams!" Riku cried triumphantly as he reached over and shoved Sora off the bed.

"Let's play something else." Sora said standing up "How 'bout blitzball?"

"You just don't like losing!" Riku said as he followed Sora out of his bedroom and down the hall. As they walked into the kitchen, Sora's mom looked up from her lap top.

"Watcha boy's doin'?" She asked

"We're just going out to play more blitzball." Sora replied

"Alright, but you'll have to come in soon because it's getting dark." Ayami replied. Sora and Riku were already opening the back door as she finished. She sighed and watched them run down the wooden stairs and onto the grass until they disappeared around the side of the porch.

"I can't believe Sora is eight! And Riku's already nine!" Ayami thought to herself. "I'm glad Sora is such a good and happy boy, even without having known his father."

As she sat in the silent kitchen, the memories of that night eight years ago came flowing back …

"I have some unfortunate news for you ma'am."

The man had come from her husband's office, a small group of Gummi pilots whose post was on a far away island somewhere to the east. He brought unfortunate news of a mishap, a mishap her husband had been involved with.

"He… he didn't make it."

Ayami had then broken down, huge sobs choking her as she stumbled forward and wept into the man's shoulder. After a few moments, she pulled back from him wiping her face on her sleeve.

"Thank you," she whispered "goodnight."

"I'm terribly sorry ma'am." The man replied as she closed the door. He turned and walked solemnly back down the street…

A small tear came to Ayami's eye as she thought about her deceased husband. But she instantly pulled herself together.

"I've got to be strong for Sora. I miss his father greatly, but Sora…, well Sora never even got to meet him, so I'm lucky. That is nothing to cry about. Poor Sora; never got to meet him. He does look a heck of a lot like him though. Same wild hair."

A smile broke her face. She continued to think random thought about her husband and Sora, her memories no longer sad, but happy. Suddenly, the ringing of the phone broke into her thoughts. Ayami reached over and picked up the line.

"Hello?"

"Ayami! Bring the boys outside! Quick! There's a meteor shower! It's so beautiful!" Riama's voice was filled with excitement.

"A meteor shower?"

"Yes, quick!"

Ayami got up and stepped out onto her back porch and was instantly transfixed by the sight that met her eyes.

Hundreds of streaks of light had filled the night sky, many colors of white, yellow, pink, and blue. They were all soaring down from the heavens, hurrying towards the horizon. It was like watching a silent fireworks show.

"Hello! Isn't it gorgeous?"

"Yes." Ayami said into the handheld

"Well? What do Riku and Sora think?"

Ayami looked down into the yard and saw the young boy's heads turned upwards toward the sky. They were both silent and still, staring at the meteor shower, something they had never seen before. She smiled at how they looked.

"They think it's wonderful!" Ayami told Riama.

Slowly the meteors' streaks disappeared from the sky, and the moon and stars were once again alone, shining down on the amazed faces of everyone on the island.

"Boys! Time to come inside!" Ayami called down into the yard after she had said goodbye to Riama.

Sora and Riku collected their things and headed back up the stairs to the back door. Sora's mother followed them inside and closed the door behind her.

"Did you guys like that?" she asked as she began rinsing off the dishes from dinner.

Sora nodded his head; his eyes wide with excitement, but Riku just shrugged and said "I guess it was kinda cool."

Ayami chuckled to herself and closed the dishwasher door.

"Well, you boys head off to bed now. You want to be rested up if you're going to go to the island tomorrow."

Sora followed Riku back to his bedroom, his excitement rising. Tomorrow, his mother was finally going to let him go with Riku to the island Riku's dad had found just a mile off the coast of the main island. He couldn't wait because Riku's dad said that it could be their own hangout, where they could go with all their friends. Sora smiled to himself as he curled down into his sleeping bag. He was glad he'd had such a good birthday.

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Well, was it good or was it lacking? The only way to tell me is to review! Please!

Hey! A shout out to Xemylda Keyblader for being my first ever reviewer! Thanks!

See ya next chapter!


	3. Our Island

Wow, I am so sorry to anyone who has been waiting for me to update this story. It seriously has been forever. Gosh, I'm such a procrastinator. I'll try to be better next time.

Well anyways, I hope you guys enjoy this next chapter.

**IMPORTANT-**For some reason, this website won't let me write a word. Its like: Sora is a boy and Kairi is a (opposite of boy which it won't let me write). I don't know why its doing this, but whenever that word comes up in the story, I'm just puting female. So it might sound weird in the story, but it's this website's fault.

Disclaimer- I own a copy of the games, that has to count for something right? Right?

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**Our Island**

Sora woke up at 5:30.

He knew his mom didn't like it when he woke her up that early so he didn't bother Riku until six. After waiting forever, Sora finally reached over and poked his friend on the back. Riku didn't respond so Sora poked him again.

"Riku?" he whispered "Time to get up silly!" a little louder this time.

Finally Sora stood up and sat next to Riku. He pinched the sleeping boy's nose closed and covered his mouth. Coughing and spluttering, Riku finally sat up.

"Are you trying to kill me?" he cried at Sora.

"Aww, you know I'd never let that happen!" Sora grinned evilly.

"Whatever, I'm awake now!" Riku said smiling. "What are we going to do? We can't leave for the island until its light outside."

"I dunno, we could just play a board game"

"Alright."

Riku and Sora hopped up and brought Battle Gummi Ship into the kitchen. They set up and began playing on the kitchen table. Light slowly crept in through the windows and finally a yawning Ayami walked into the kitchen.

"E7!" Sora cried.

"Ugh, hit and fallen." Riku grumbled obviously bored. "Good job, you've managed to kill all my Gummi ships! You win."

Ayami winced at the thought of destroyed Gummi ships. But she quickly recovered.

"Hey boys, want some pancakes?"

"Yes!" they chorused.

"And after that, Riku, your dad is going to come pick you guys up and bring you to the island."

A smile broke Sora's face. He couldn't wait.

Time seemed to fly in the young boy's mind as he scarfed down the warm pancakes smothered in syrup, just the way he liked them, and then went to his room to help Riku pack. When he finally heard a knock on the door, he leapt up with excitement and ran to go get it.

"Hello Mr. Riku's dad!" Sora exclaimed as he looked up at the tall man standing at the door. "Are we going to the island now?"

"Hold on, hold on. I've just gotten here. Let me breathe." Riku's father chuckled.

"Hello Rayon, come on inside. Don't trip on anything." Ayami called as she came around the corner, pulling her apron off. "Sorry about the mess."

Rayon looked at her. "Like you've never been to my house before. The triplets tear everything apart"

"Those girls (umm, well I could put the word that time), they're only one year olds!" Sora said "I'm eight now, so I am so much older than them."

"Yeah, I remember when I was eight." Riku said walking in with his duffle bag over his shoulder. "Those were great times."

"That was only ten days ago!" Sora said, hating to feel inferior.

"Alright, alright. Boys, why don't you go and put Riku's stuff in the car while I get Mr. Rayon something to drink and then you can be on your way." Ayami told them.

"Ok!" Sora said, anxious to get going. "Come on Riku lets go!" He said marching out of the front door (not before taking the pillow and sleeping bag that the older boy thrust into his hands).

As Riku threw his stuff into the back seat of the suburban van, Sora suddenly remembered Riku's party favor.

"Let me go get it for you! I'll be right back." He called as he ran back in the house.

Sora ran into the hall to the basket sitting on the coffee table. He grabbed the last colorful bag and started heading back to the front door. As he passed the kitchen he heard Mr. Rayon talking to his mom. He wouldn't have stopped except his voice sounded urgent.

"Ayami, your husband was a Gummi pilot, so you know about… about other worlds right? And you also saw the meteor shower last night?

"Yes." Sora heard his mother answer as if she didn't know what he was getting at.

"Well, a couple hours after that, I found a little female washed up on the shore. I brought her up to the mayor's house and she's still unconscious. The rest of the coast guard think she's from another world. I don't know about that, but do you think after I take Riku and Sora to the island, you could go over there and see her? And, well, we were hoping maybe, that since we already have Riku and the triplets, you could bring her home, and uh, keep her here for a while? Just until we find a home for her."

Sora's eyes widened. Someone was coming to live with him and his mom? And she was from another world? What does Mr. Rayon mean, another world? There was no other world than Destiny Island. Sora was sure of that. Confused, he snuck down the rest of the hallway and out onto the driveway. Riku was already sitting in the front seat listening to one of his CDs. Sora pulled open the side door and slid in behind Riku.

"Riku, you'll never guess what I just heard your dad say!" He whispered excitedly, leaning forward.

"Don't whisper in my ear, it feels annoying." Riku said as he turned around. "So what did he say?"

"Well, you know the meteor shower last night? Your dad–"

Before he could finish, Riku's dad opened the front door calling goodbye to Ayami. Sora sat back quickly and whispered "Tell you later."

"Alright boys, you ready to go?"

"Yah!" Sora exclaimed.

"Of course!" Riku said, finally showing his excitement.

Rayon drove the suburban down to the docks where his coast guard boat was floating, all the while listening to the boys' excessive chatting.

"Maybe when are older, we can have our own boats to row to the island!"

"Yah, and we can build a dock on the island to tie them to!"

"And a tree house!"

"And we can build a zip line!"

"Oh boy, I can't wait!"

"We can have lots of adventures!"

"And we should bring Wakka, Tidus, and Selphie next time." Sora said.

"Well, I don't know about Selphie, she is a female." Riku replied.

"Then we can have part of the island that is boys only."

"You guys don't want to make Selphie feel bad do you?" Rayon asked as they parked.

"We just won't tell her about it so she won't feel left out." Riku stated as he hopped out of the car. "Anyways, she won't care."

Sora pulled the door open and jumped down onto the gravel. He and Riku raced down to the end of the dock, their shoes clop-clopping on the wooden boards.

"Ha ha, I beat you!" Riku called as he reached the boat.

Sora was only a couple feet behind him, but he was still disappointed.

"Whatever. Let's go!" Sora exclaimed as he stepped into the small motor boat, painted white with a red stripe and the words Coast Guard along the side.

Riku got in too, closely followed by his dad who started the boat's motor. They glided out onto the water and started heading towards one of the many tiny islands that surrounded the larger main island.

"Okay boys, here's the deal on the island. It's registered under my name as my property, so if anyone comes along when I'm gone, you just tell them that. No one else can take it now that I've bought it."

"Cool! This is going to be totally sweet!" Riku said and Sora nodded in agreement.

It took them a couple of minutes to reach the island which became bigger as they approached. The side facing the main island was covered with trees, but as they went around the right side, Sora saw a beach with huge trees and a waterfall. There was even a tinier islet just off the shore that rose straight out of the water. On the islet, there was a tiny tree that was growing sideways and hanging over the side. It looked weak now, but Sora knew that it would grow larger.

Rayon stopped the boat before they reached the shore and told them they'd have to jump into the water and swim the rest of the way.

"You don't want to beach the boat. Anyways, you guys will dry off in no time with this heat. I'm gonna head off now because I have to patrol the area, but I'll be really close. I'll come back to get you before it gets dark."

"Alright!" Sora said as he leaped into the water doing a cannonball and making as big a splash as an eight year old can.

"Bye dad, see ya." Riku called as he too jumped into the water.

"I'll race you Riku!" Sora called, giving himself a head start.

The two boys swam towards their island.

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Well, I hope you all liked that. Please review! Even if you don't have a username you can still leave an anonymous review! It would really make my day. Thank you. 


	4. Other Worlds

Hiya everybody! Sorry for another extremely long wait. I've been so busy lately, but as summer draws nearer, I'll probably have more time.

So anyways, I hope that you all like this next chapter. It kind of seems a bit rushed to me, but maybe not. The female thing still holds. Stupid website.

Disclaimer- In my wildest dreams…

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**Other Worlds**

Even with Sora's head start, Riku soon pulled in front of him. Sora was right behind him the whole way, swimming as fast as he could, but he could just never get in front of his friend. As they came up to the shore, Sora grabbed Riku's ankle and pulled him back and tried to get to dry land first.

"Oh no you don't!" Riku said as he yanked Sora back in the same fashion. The two boys continued to wrestle in the shallows, splashing water every where as they fought to get up the beach. Finally, Riku fell back and so did Sora, the two friends just sitting in the water breathing heavily.

"I give up!"

"Same here!"

With sideways glances at each other, both boys jumped up and ran for the sand.

"First one to that tree!" Sora called.

Sora sprinted as fast as he could and climbed up over a rocky ledge to get to the huge tree that grew up farther than he could see. He reached his hand forward to touch the scratchy surface. Riku's hand landed next to his at the same instant and both boys slammed against the enormous trunk.

"I win!" they both yelled.

"No I did!" Sora said.

"In your dreams." Riku replied as they slid down to sit at the base of the tree. After a few minutes of trying to catch their breath, Sora spoke up.

"This would be a perfect tree to build a tree house in."

"Yah, we could build a path that circles up the trunk to the entrance; way up there." Riku said as he pulled his head back trying to see the top of the tree.

"That'll be high!" Sora replied while also leaning back to look up.

"And the dock should be right over there, by the edge of the beach! We can build our own boats so we can row here everyday. Then we'll be really strong!"

"Yah and we should build a bridge up to that tiny island right there!"

Riku looked at the islet.

"What is that strange little tree that's growing sideways?"

"I dunno, but let's go find out!"

Both boys jumped up and ran down to the edge of the beach, the tall islet creating a shadow over their faces. They waded out until they were standing at the very base.

"Well, we could try climbing it." Riku suggested as he tried to find a foothold on the rocky side.

"Or I could stand on your shoulders. Maybe I could reach the top then."

"Alright, but be quick, cause this is going to hurt."

Sora came up behind Riku and placed one of sandaled feet on his friend's shoulder and then pushed off of the ground. His other foot landed on Riku's other shoulder, but neither boy could keep balance, so they toppled into the water with a splash.

"I don't think I could've reached the top anyways." Sora said as he apologized to the soaking Riku. "Let's try going around to see if there's anything on the other side."

"Okay." Riku said as he began sloshing around the rocky base. By the time they got to the other side, Sora couldn't reach the ground and neither could Riku. The water they were treading was warm and crystal clear, with a hint of bluish-green color that was very tropical. Sora looked down and saw a starfish below him. Before he could point it out to Riku, his friend called out.

"Look Sora! A ledge!" Riku pulled himself up onto the small jut of rock that rose barely two inches out of the water. "I bet if we had a ladder, we could prop it up here and climb up any time we wanted to!"

"Well, you want to build one now?" Sora asked as he too pulled himself up onto the ledge.

"Sure, you can swim back to island and gather up random sticks that have washed up on the shore while I make rope out of my hair and then we'll tie everything together and lean it up against here so we can climb it."

"I dunno if that would work Riku." Sora said, completely unaware of his friend's sarcasm. "Would your hair be strong enough?"

Riku just sighed.

"Look, we can build everything later. Right now, let's make a plan of everything we want to put up, and my dad and Wakka and Tidus can help us later."

"Yah, and next time, we can bring real rope." Sora said as he slid back into the water.

As the two swam back to shore, Sora suddenly remembered the female from another world. All of the excitement of the day had made him completely forget, but now that he remembered he was once again confused at what Mr. Rayon had said. He sloshed up on shore and sat down on the sand.

"Man, we are going to have to dry off." Riku said as he took his shirt off and began ringing it out.

"Hey Riku, remember how I wanted to tell you something earlier in the car, but then your dad came?"

"Oh yeah, what were you going to say?" Riku asked as he sat down next to Sora.

"Well, I went inside to get your party favor, right? And while I was going down the hallway, I heard your dad talking to my mom in the kitchen. He said that after that meteor shower, he found a female washed up on the shore! From another world!"

"What?" Riku asked, confused.

"I know! And when she wakes up, she's going to come to live at my house!" Sora said excitedly.

"Woah! Are you sure? I mean, what did my dad mean about another world?"

"Maybe it's a completely different place then where we live, somewhere that's not connected by land!"

"It sure would be cool to visit some place like that. But how would you get there?" Riku wondered as he stared off into the sky.

"I dunno, but I bet that would be some big adventure!"

"It'd be long!"

"And exciting!"

"And probably dangerous!" Riku exclaimed as he jumped up.

Sora got up and followed him as he ran to get a stick. Facing each other, they began to spar.

"Argh, what do you be doing in my pirate world?" Sora called.

"I've come to rid this world of evil! And that means you!" Riku yelled back as he thrust his stick towards his friend. Sora jumped to the side so that it wouldn't hit him.

"Ye'll never get me!"

The boys ran around and played this game for hours, the island providing a better environment then their backyards. Riku would hide behind a tall rock and wait until he could ambush Sora. Then Sora would climb up a tree and drop coconuts on him. They explored different worlds and pretended to be harsh villains and golden heroes.

Neither of them took a break until they noticed the sun getting closer to the horizon. Then they went to play in the small pond and waterfall. The water was very cold, and it beat down harshly on their shoulders.

Sora started to shiver in the breeze and got out of the pond. He sat up on the ledge, pulling his shirt back over his head. He went to lean against the wall, but his back met no resistance and he fell through the bushes, his head landing in an opening in the rock.

"Woah! Riku! I found a cave!" Sora exclaimed as he sat back up.

Riku looked at him from under the waterfall. "How big is it?"

"Uhh, I dunno, but maybe we could go explore it and see."

"What, you don't want to go alone?"

Sora smiled sheepishly. "Well, their might be monsters or something."

Riku's eyes widened. "You're right! Let's go!" He pulled himself out of the chilling water and felt the plants near the wall.

"Wow! It's like a secret cave!"

"Yah! This is like a real adventure!" Sora replied. "We can fight the monsters!"

"Yah, let's go!" Riku ducked into the opening and Sora followed him. They walked down a long tunnel until they came into a large opening. After they had looked around, it was obvious that there was no monster.

"How boring." Riku said. "But this is still a cool place!"

"Yah." Sora said as he ran his hand along the rock walls. "We could make this into a secret base so we can beat Tidus and Wakka in war!"

"Right, no telling anyone." Riku said holding out his pinkie. Sora shook it with his own.

"Right!"

In the distance, they heard a boat honking.

"There's your dad."

The boys ran back out of the cave and broke through the bushes. Once they were on the beach, they saw the coast guard boat out aways from the shore.

"Are we swimming again?" Sora asked.

"I guess." Riku said and they both ran into the water, engaging in another race.

They both swam out as fast as they could, but it was farther than they thought, and they began to slow down. By the time they pulled themselves onto the back of the boat, they were breathing heavily.

Riku's dad laughed at them as they sat down.

"I think we're going to have to get some smaller boats, so you can row out there!"

"Yah, that'd be nice." Riku replied.

"And we should build a dock." Sora put in.

"Yes, this will be a project, won't it?" Rayon smiled.

"We already have everything planned out."

"Well, we'll have to get started soon, won't we? But first, there's something back on the main island that I need to show you."

Sora sat back as the boat began to move forward through the water. Maybe he was going to finally meet the female.

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Well, how was that? Did you like it? Give me some constructive criticism so I can make it better. Please don't just read and not review!

Chow!


	5. She's Awake

Hiya guys! So here's the next chapter in my story. I hope it turned out okay. I tried to crank it out even with all of my exams and stuff I've been doing. I think once summer comes I'll be able to update sooner. But anyways, I hope you like this.

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**She's Awake**

Sora and Riku stood outside the small hospital room, waiting to be let in. Sora looked around the hallway and then out the window. The island's hospital was one of the tallest buildings on the coast. The only time Sora had ever been higher was when he was in the lighthouse. He could see over the palm trees and out to the beach. He tried to imagine that he could make out their small island, but he really had no idea.

Mr. Rayon had told them about the girl on the way back, but no one had mentioned anything about different worlds. Sora was beginning to think that he had imagined it. Maybe he had.

Eventually the nurse and Sora's mother came out and let the two young boys in. Sora stepped onto the tiled floor and walked over to the bed. It reminded him of the time that his mother had been sick and he had sat with her while they watched TV or played a game on her bed. He peered over the covers at the all so mysterious girl.

The first thing he noticed was her shock of red hair, and then her pale skin. She certainly didn't look like an islander. He leaned back so that Riku could take a better look.

"She's pretty isn't she?" Riku said out of the corner of his mouth while the women were talking.

"I guess. I just hope she's nice." Sora whispered. As he said this, his small hand brushed up against hers lying on the sheets. Her fingers recoiled and Sora pulled his hand way back.

"She moved!"

Sora leaned back over her and whispered, "Please wake up so we can be friends."

Then the girl with red hair opened her eyes. Sora was astonished at the blue-violet color. Then he smiled.

"Hello! My name is Sora." He reached out his hand to shake hers, but he was gently pulled away by the nurse who had rushed over to the bed.

"Good heavens child! You gave us a scare. How are you feeling? Here, go ahead and sit up."

She was still staring over the nurse's shoulder at Sora. He waved goodbye as he and Riku left with his mother. They shut the hospital room's door and then headed down the hallway.

"I hope she doesn't suffocate her." Ayami said smiling.

Riku pulled Sora behind and whispered, "She sure looked like she was from a different world. And she was staring at you." Riku elbowed him in the side.

"So what?" Sora replied looking at him.

"Hurry up boys!" Sora's mother called from the elevator she was waiting in.

----------

Sora walked into the house with his mom. They had dropped Riku off at his own home, and now it was starting to get late.

"So how's my little grown up boy?" Ayami asked her son as she began to make PB&Js for dinner.

"I'm great mom. The island was really fun."

"Really? I'm sure you boys will be out their everyday from now on." She finished with Sora's sandwich and placed it in front of him on the table. "At least I won't have to deal with you around here anymore."

"Hey!" Sora laughed.

"Aww, just kidding. So, uh, how did you like that little girl we saw? I mean I know you didn't really get to meet her, but, uh, you wouldn't mind if she came and stayed with us for a couple weeks? Just until we find her a home." Ayami looked at Sora.

"Oh no, I wouldn't mind." Sora tried to hide his excitement that his new friend was coming to stay at his house. Not Riku's. Even if he was a year older.

Just then the phone rang. Ayami got up to answer it.

"Hello? ... Oh yes, Rayon… Oh, no, that'll be fine… Really? That's all she can remember? ... Yes, well I guess you're right… No, it's no problem, don't worry… Alright, bye."

Ayami sat back down across from Sora.

"Well guess what?"

"What?"

"The girl remembered her name. It's Kairi."

"That's a pretty name." Sora replied. Then he caught himself and added, "I guess."

"Yah, and she's coming to stay here tonight."

"Really?!" Sora couldn't wait.

"Yes, but it'll be very late. Are you sure you can stay up that late?"

"Oh yes! It'll be easy. I'll go sit by the front door." Leaving his plate on the table, Sora dashed into the living room.

He climbed up onto the wide window sill that had a cushion. He sat and rested his cheek against the cold glass, beginning his vigil watch for Mr. Rayon's car. The street outside was lit up by an orange street lamp and Sora looked around at all the trees and bushes in his front yard. Whenever a car drove by, Sora would look up and watch it pass underneath the light, glowing orange for a few seconds, but they all kept going. None of them held Kairi with the red hair and blue-violet eyes. Despite his excitement, his eyelids began to droop and the steady pitter patter of the rain that had started against the window was starting to lure him to sleep. He would open his eyes for a few seconds every once in a while, but sleep eventually over came him.

Ayami came in from the kitchen and spied Sora snoring against the window's glass. She smiled and picked him up, carrying him down the hallway to his bed.

----------

Lighting flashed in the messy room, illuminating it as if it were day. And then in less than a second, it was pitch black again. Sora reached up and covered his ears, dreading the thunder he knew was coming.

CRACK!!!!!!!!

He flinched in his bed as the ear-splitting noise faded away. His heart was beating fast and he tried to fall asleep again. Then another flash of lighting lit up the room with a simultaneous crack of lightning that made Sora jump again and pull the covers over. Then he heard whimpering. At first he thought it was coming from himself, but he soon realized it was somewhere else. Against his better judgment, Sora swung his legs over his bed and crawled over to his bedroom door. Then he peered down the hallway just as it was illuminated by light. He closed his eyes and shut his ears until the loud thunder was over. Then he got up and ran down the hallway as fast as he could towards the living room where the crying was coming from. On the couch, there was a figure all wrapped up in blankets and shaking. Sora crossed the room and watched as the figure jumped at the next crack of thunder. Suddenly, Sora was no longer scared.

"Hello?"

The figure on the couch jumped a mile and immediately spun around, eyes wide.

"Is your name Kairi? I saw you at the hospital earlier, when you woke up."

Kairi nodded to answer his question, but she still had a frightened look in her eyes. Sora sat down next to her on the couch.

"It's alright. I used to be scared of thunder storms, but it's not all that bad. It's just the angels bowling."

"Really?" Kairi asked looking up at him. Her voice was so small and fragile, and Sora couldn't understand what was wrong, but he kept on with his story.

"Yah, the angels go bowling and they take lots of pictures, because of the memories. And you can be happy on the extra loud ones, cause that means they made a strike." He smiled at her. "Have you ever made a strike?"

"I don't know." Kairi answered.

"Why not?"

"I… just… don't remember. Anything."

Sora looked back at her. "But you remembered your name!"

"Well, that's it."

Sora smiled. "No it's not silly. You remember how to walk and talk and breathe don't you? And you remember what bowling is."

Kairi smiled back. "Yah, I guess."

Thunder rumbled softly in the distance and Sora realized that the storm was ending.

"Are you going to be okay now?" he asked Kairi.

"Yes, thank you."

"See, you also remember your Ps and Qs." Sora replied as he climbed back off the couch. "See you in the morning Kairi."

* * *

Well, Kairi's finally awake! Yay! This was a pretty short chapter, but I wrote it quickly. I think I might go back over my whole story and change some things later on, but for now, I'm just going to finish it. So tell me what you thought. Please! 


	6. Our New Friend

Well, once again, sorry for the long wait, but I guess you can pretty much get used to that. Sorry : ( I hope you all like this.

* * *

**Our New Friend**

The next morning when Sora woke up, the sun was already shining into his room from the windows. He immediately hopped up, surprised that he hadn't gotten up before dawn like usual. But he just shrugged and made his way down the hallway towards the kitchen.

His mother and Kairi were both sitting at the table. Kairi was quietly munching on some cereal while Ayami was sipping coffee and reading the island's newspaper. Sora sat down and poured himself some cereal with milk and began to eat some too. When Ayami noticed him, she put down the paper and smiled at him.

"Well Sora, we have a project today."

"What is it?" He asked, a little excited.

"Well since Kairi's going to stay for a few days," She smiled at the small female, "We're going to have to clear out the spare room and put all of the junk in our garage and attic."

"Are Riku and his dad coming too?"

"Yes sir."

"Oh boy! Kairi this is great! You can meet Riku! He's my best friend. And you'll have to meet Wakka and Tidus and Selphie too!"

He drank the milk out of his cereal bowl and then quickly jumped down, pulling Kairi with him. She was just amazed at how fast he had wolfed down the cereal.

"Come see my room."

Ayami chuckled at the two as they ran down the hallway.

When he reached his door, Sora let go of her hand.

"Wait here a sec."

He ran into his room and hastily tried to tidy it up. He threw his clothes in his hamper and stuffed all of his toys into his closet. By his standards, his room looked pretty swell by the time he was done. He opened his door for Kairi to come in.

"Check this out!" He pulled his best sword from above his bed and held it out for her to see. "I made this one all by myself out of some wood _I_ chopped down. Riku didn't help at all."

Kairi took the sword and twisted it in her hands. It made her smile. Sora pulled out some more of his "home-made" weapons and showed them to her. Finally she talked.

"These are really cool"

Sora smiled wide. "Well, you know, Riku did teach me how. He's a year older than me. But I did just turn eight."

"Is Riku that boy with silver hair you were with before?"

Sora nodded. "Dunno why it's silver, just don't ever call him an old lady." He showed her a bruise on his arm.

Her eyes widened in fear.

"Aww, just kidding." He said laughing, but Kairi wasn't so sure.

He sat down on his bed. "So have you remembered anything else? About before?"

She sat down next to him and stared at the floor. Her eyes were very serious.

"Well last night, I had this dream about a castle. An odd castle. It seemed familiar, or something…"

"There aren't any castles here." Sora said, "Did you come from another world?"

The question had come out on its own will. Not that he didn't want to ask, he just hadn't meant to, lest he sound ignorant. But since he had already asked, he went on and explained.

"I mean I heard Riku's dad and my mom talking about it, and, well I don't really know, its confusing…"

Kairi nodded and shrugged. "I guess that would make sense… I heard some people at the hospital talking about that… I don't remember anything though, so why does it matter?"

Sora raised his eyebrows. "'Cause it's cool! Wouldn't it be totally awesome if there were more worlds out there? I mean people who save the world won't be so cool anymore! 'Cause it'll only be one world out of billions! When I grow up, I'm going to save all the worlds!"

By this point, Sora was standing up on his bed with his arms in a "hero" position. Then he grabbed a wooden sword from his shelf and began to fight off imaginary foes.

Kairi giggled at his silliness. This little boy saving the worlds? Never!

She heard the front door opening and a man's voice. She reached up and pulled at his arm.

"Come on, I think they're here."

They both walked down the hallway where, sure enough, Mr. Rayon and Riku were talking to Ayami. Riku saw Sora and headed towards them. Kairi stayed behind Sora.

"Hey, what's up?" Riku greeted his friend.

"Nothin', we're just going to carry all of the stuff out of the spare room into the attic."

"Oh joy." Riku smirked.

"Riku, this is Kairi. I know you guys kind of saw each other at the hospital…"

"How are you doing my fine maiden?" Riku held out his hand and took a long sweeping bow.

Kairi's face turned red and she let out a giggle. Sora tried to just roll his eyes, but he couldn't help but be a little mad. Why? He had no idea.

"Kids! Come on over here and help us out!" Riku's dad's voice called from inside a room on the other side of the kitchen.

The three kids accompanied the grown-ups for the next few hours, hauling junk up into the attic. Ayami was in the room handing random boxes to Sora, Riku, and Kairi, who in turn would run them down the hall to where Mr. Rayon was standing on the ladder up to the attic, taking the boxes and stowing then out of sight.

The three of them were having a grand time, despite the fact that they were "working". Rayon finally came down the ladder after the last box, brushing the dust off of his hands.

"Well, I have the extra bed I brought from our house. I'll go get that."

Rayon and Ayami had soon unloaded the bed into the room and had set up a small foldable table next to it with a lamp on it.

"Well Kairi, I know it's not much, but it'll be enough until we find you a real home. And we needed to clean this room out anyways." Ayami smiled as she placed a hand on the small female's back.

Kairi nodded thankfully.

"Can we go to island now?" Sora asked his mother eagerly.

"You don't mind giving them a ride out there, do you Rayon?"

"Not at all. But don't you think we should build a boat first, so you three can row out instead of swimming?"

"How 'bout we build one once we're on the island. I can carry Kairi if she can't swim." Riku put in.

"Or I could." Sora added quietly.

----------

The boat ride didn't seem to take as long the second time for Sora. He sat contentedly in back of the coast guard motor boat next to Kairi, letting the spray hit him in the face. It felt good. Next to him, he could hear Kairi giggle a little when ever they went over an especially big crest. Riku sat up near the front with his dad watching the back of their island approaching.

"Are you excited Kairi?" Sora half-called over the noise of the boat.

"Yes, very much." She called back. Sora looked over at her and smiled.

Rayon pulled the boat around the side of the island, this time coming a little closer than he did last time. Turning the engine off, he coasted the boat so that the back faced the beach.

"Okay you guys, are you sure that you can build a boat?"

"Yah Dad, I've done it a million times before." Riku responded with certainty.

"Mmhmm. Just make sure you test it before paddling into the middle of the ocean."

Sora chuckled under his breath.

"Aww, come on Dad, that only happened one time!"

Finally understanding, Kairi joined Sora's laughter. Riku glanced at Sora with an 'I'll get you back' kind of expression before jumping off of the boat. Sora quickly followed him, and then turned around to watch Kairi. She gently lowered her self into the water with a small splash.

Once in the water, she grabbed Sora's shoulder and whispered to him quietly, "I don't know if I can make it all the way by myself."

Sora nodded, completely understanding.

"Don't tell Riku." She added hastily.

"Why?" He flipped his hair so that the water wouldn't plaster his spikes down.

"I don't want him to think I'm weak."

"He won't-"

"Come on guys!" Riku's eager voice cut across Sora's. The silver haired boy began to make his way towards the shore. Sora and Kairi followed suit, although a little slower. It wasn't that Kairi was a horrible swimmer; it was just that she didn't have much endurance. Which made sense really. She hadn't grown up on an island like they had, and Sora completely understood. And he knew Riku would too. It was weird that she didn't want him to know. Unless it was… no, that couldn't be it. It was just that Tidus was always trying to impress Selphie and make sure that she thought that he was the best. And it had turned out that he liked her. But Kairi didn't like Riku; did she? _Not that it matters, _Sora reminded himself, _I don't care about that stuff._

By the time the two reached the island, Riku had already begun gathering spare drift wood from around the beach.

"Are we starting on the boat right now?" Sora asked as he pulled his shirt off, wringing out the water.

"You're so lazy Sora." Kairi teased him as she also came out of the surf.

"So, what do you think of our own private island, Kairi?" Riku asked her with his arms spread wide, gesturing to the beautiful scenery behind him.

"It's really cool. And pretty."

Sora nodded in agreement. "We're going to build a dock, and a tree house, and a bridge over to that island, and hopefully a lot more!"

"Wow, when?"

"Uhh, sometimes soon, I hope."

"Which means probably not for a while."

They all laughed. Sora turned towards the water and smiled into the sunlight that was reflecting off of the waves. It was funny the way the three of them clicked. He and Riku had been best friends since before he could remember, and Kairi really fit with them, better than anyone had before. It was nice.

CLUNK

"What the…?"

Sora turned around, startled by the loud noise. A few feet away, Riku was sprawled out on the ground by the base of a palm tree, a ripe coconut lying by his head. Kairi was kneeling beside him, tears of mirth streaming down her face. She was clutching her stomach, laughing her heart out.

"What happened?" Sora walked over to them, a bit confused.

Kairi was still laughing too hard to talk. Riku groaned and sat up, supporting himself with his arm.

"I was… the tree… and the coconut… I didn't even see it coming."

Sora's grin was prominent as he leaned over to help his friend up. "That's hilarious man!"

Riku staggered a little, clearly embarrassed that he had made such a blunder.

"Even though you did interrupt my good thoughts!" Sora added with mock annoyance.

Kairi also stood up, wiping the tears form her eyes, still giggling. "You shoulda seen it Sora! It just clonked him on the head out of no where!"

Sora laughed again. "I may be the lazy one, but I don't see you two working on the boat."

The three of them headed back out to gather wood, two laughing, and one shaking his head to clear it a little more.

* * *

Haha! Poor Riku. 

I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter- there's more to come with Kairi's first trip out to the island in the next chapter. I just had to get this out now, for one impatient reader of mine. You know who you are! 'squints into the crowd' I see you back there smiling!

If anyone has any suggestions as to what kind of "problem" I should introduce to make the story any more interesting, I'm open to your ideas. I have some of my own, but a few are quite lame. Or if you guys think I should just keep on going without an extensive plot, tell me. It would kind of be like a really long one-shot.


	7. Building Friendship

Okay, so here's the next chapter. My little brother and I suddenly started playing Kingdom Hearts II yesterday, and it just inspired me to write again. Thanks to everyone who's reviewed so far, getting all of those reviews just makes me so happy :D.

* * *

**Building Friendship**

Sora could honestly say that he had started out working very hard on the boat. It wasn't his fault that he had such a short attention span. He had abandoned the work a long time ago, choosing instead to draw a battle scene in the hard sand with a stick. Kairi had even come over to join him after a while, leaving Riku to complete the boat. It was almost finished anyways.

Sora's intense battle sequence stretched along the beach, getting longer and longer until finally only the hero and the arch-villain were left. Kairi walked along the drawing, taking it in as if she were reading a story.

"It's only missing one thing."

Sora looked at her. "What?"

She took the stick from him and drew in a tall tower in the background, and then a princess leaning out of the window. She stepped back and admired her addition, while Sora continued to look at her.

"I don't get it."

"Silly, it's a damsel in distress, for the hero to save. What else would he be fighting for?"

Sora nodded, slowly but then faster, a big grin spreading across his face.

"Yes! That's perfect, I think that's exactly what this story needed."

He made to take the stick back to continue drawing, but he changed his mind in mid-reach and instead offered it to her.

"You finish it." He said.

"Really?" Kairi asked, unsure as to whether she would ruin his master piece.

"Yeah, go ahead." He nodded vigorously.

Kairi picked up the stick to add in the last scene and she began to draw the hero's face when all of the sudden a rather large wave rolled in and took out the entire drawing.

"Oh!"

Kairi quickly looked back at Sora, whose face held a shocked expression, which slowly faded into an indifferent grin.

"Happens." He commented, with an air of experience.

Kairi smiled, still feeling guilty, and then glanced back at Riku and his boat.

"Hey that looks like it's finished!"

Sora turned too and saw Riku sanding off the hull of a small and humble rowing boat.

"Wow! When I left it was only a skeleton!"

"Yeah, well, shows how much you helped." Kairi teased, punching him lightly on the arm.

Sora rubbed it. "Owie, not cool."

Kairi giggled and then ran away down the beach towards Riku. Sora chased after her and both of them came up to the older boy, laughing.

"Thanks for all of the help Sora." Riku said sarcastically.

Sora grinned his wide grin. "You're very especially welcome."

Kairi giggled.

"Well, maybe I won't let you come back on my boat then."

"What?! Kairi didn't help that long either!"

"She helped longer than you! Plus she's a girl."

"What does that have to do with anything?"

Kairi watched the two bemusedly.

"How about you two race?"

They both stopped and looked at her.

"Do what?" Riku asked.

"Race! You know, like 'who can run faster than the other'? If Riku wins, he gets to decide if Sora can ride in the boat. If Sora wins, he gets to decide!" Kairi beamed, proud of her idea.

Sora scratched the back of his head. He knew he would probably lose.

Riku seemed to be thinking along the same lines. "Okay! That sounds fair, let's do it."

Sora groaned a bit, but agreed. "Sure, where's it going to be?"

"I'll choose." Kairi announced. She walked away from them, down the beach past the small islet. She was out of sight beyond the corner of rock and trees before Sora and Riku started following her.

She stopped at the edge of the beach that turned sharply inwards and ended at the rock face of the side of the island. A little farther down, a fresh water spring was bubbling out of the rock. Beach started again about ten feet away.

(A/N- this is that place with the bridge that breaks, obviously it's not there yet, so I tried to describe the scene without it)

"We should build a bridge across here to that ledge, so we don't always have to do this." Kairi jumped into the shallow water and waded over to the sand, the boys following her. She walked around the ledge until she came to a place where the beach opened up more. Behind the beach there was a forest of palm trees in front of an even higher ledge of rock. There was a sort of natural ramps of sand and rock that led up to a place where you could jump on it.

She stopped and nodded, turning back to Sora and Riku.

"Okay. You can start back before that ledge where we waded. Then you have to run over here and tag that star tree thingy way up there." She pointed to the top of the high ledge, "And then go back to where we started."

Riku shrugged. "I can do that."

Sora looked warily at the high ledge and the jump that was necessary to reach it. "Yeah, I guess I will too."

The three of them returned to the point right before the break in the beach.

"Okay you guys! On your mark … get set… GO!" She giggled happily as the two of them bolted into the water, sloshing quickly to the other side. She followed them to watch them run up the beach, both equally matched.

* * *

Sora sped as fast as he could up the sand ramp to the rocky edge. Riku launched himself with faith at the opposite wall and barely grabbed the edge, scrabbling a bit to pull himself up. Sora hesitated for a second, but he also followed and jumped across the gap.

The edge of the rock was rounded, so it was hard for him to keep his fingers on it. He put his foot against the wall and tried to help himself up. If only he was as tall as Riku…

He gathered his strength and finally brought himself high enough to get up and over the ledge. He looked up in time to see Riku jump onto the top of one of the coconut trees and slide down. He had already touched the star tree.

Sora ran up to star tree, touched it without looking at it, and then followed Riku's example and slid down one of the trees. He raced across the beach, rounded the corner, and saw Riku already sitting down across the water.

Sora's face turned red as he waded across, making no effort to make his finish grand. Riku stuck his tongue out.

"It's okay buddy, I'll let you come in the boat."

Sora didn't really care. He just wished he hadn't lost so badly, he was embarrassed.

"This isn't the end! I will beat you!" He said, pointing his finger into the air and making a joke.

Kairi giggled. "Hey guys, what's that?" She asked, pointing back to the islet off of the beach.

"Sora and I tried to get up there last time, but… he's just too short." Riku laughed, still basking in the glow of his win.

"Hey! Not fair! That cliff is too tall." Sora replied. "But there is a ledge around the back, we were thinking of building a ladder… and maybe a bridge from that ledge there." He pointed up to a rock ledge above their heads.

"And we could build stairs up to that ledge, so we can just walk across to that little island!" Kairi replied enthusiastically.

"Well let's make a ladder now and get up there." Riku suggested.

The three of them agreed and set off to find sticks around the base of the giant trees, Sora having completely forgotten about his loss.

* * *

The ladder grew taller and taller, the more sticks they added on. Soon it was taller than any of them could reach when it stood up.

"Alright guys! I feel really productive today… next we should build a house." Riku said, standing back to examine the ladder that Sora was holding up.

"Are you sure that's stable enough to hold?" Kairi asked from next to him.

"Feels strong." Sora said, pushing on the pieces of wood held together by reed grass. "It was cool of you to find this rope grass stuff Kairi."

Kairi smiled. "Thanks."

"Let's get this thing up!" Riku said, heading for the water.

The three of them went past the rowing boat on the sand and waded as far as they could out to the islet. When they swam, Kairi held onto Sora's shoulder a little. They reached the ledge around the back of the islet and pulled themselves onto it. Riku pulled the ladder he had been dragging up after him, and with Sora's help, he leaned it against the side of the cliff. The ladder reached up and touched just about a foot before the edge.

"Perfect!"

Riku put his foot into the first rung and slowly made his way up. Kairi winced every time the ladder creaked, but her friend made it all the way to the top.

After he had pulled himself up, Sora called, "What's up there?"

Riku's voice drifted down to them. "Nothing much. There's some grass, and this little tree."

Sora shrugged to Kairi and followed Riku up the ladder. As he made his way up, one of the branch rungs snapped under the stress and he slipped. He heard Kairi gasp below him. He caught himself and grinned down towards her.

"I'm okay! Just skip that one when you climb up!"

He saw Kairi nod, unsure. He flashed her another smile and pulled himself up to the top. Riku was sitting across from him with his feet dangling off the edge staring back at the island. Sora glanced around and found that Riku had been right. The flat top was covered with sand, a few random patches of grass growing here and there. Growing near the edge of the approximate circle was a small tree, about two feet tall.

He turned around and looked back down at Kairi. "Come on!"

She looked up at him uncertainly. "What if the ladder breaks again?"

"It won't! Come on!" He repeated.

Kairi began her ascent slowly. She was about half way up when another one of the branches broke suddenly, causing the ladder to fall backwards back into the water. 

Sora reached down and caught hold of her both her arms with his hands. He tried to pull her up, but he couldn't.

"Hey Riku?! Little help?" He called over his shoulder.

He heard Riku get up and come over. He put his arms around Sora's waist and pulled. After a few seconds, Kairi came up over the edge, with enough force to send the three of them flying back.

They landed on the little tree, bending it back towards the center of the island.

"Ger off!" Riku called from underneath his two friends.

Kairi jumped up. "We really need to build a new one of those." She said shakily as Sora got up with her.

"Yeah, we can get better wood when my dad and the others come." Riku said sitting up and rubbing his back where he had come in contact with the tree.

Sora looked at the small tree and his mouth tweaked. "I don't think that thing's ever going to be the same."

The small tree was bent inward, permanently by the looks of it, now running parallel to the ground.

"Do you think it's going to grow like that?" Kairi asked, smiling slightly.

Sora laughed. "Well at least we can tell everyone how Mr. Fat Riku bent it like that."

Riku looked indignant. "It was all three of our weights that did it."

Sora and Kairi laughed as they heard a boat horn in the distance.

"Hey isn't that your dad's boat?" Kairi asked, looking out towards the sea.

"Yefah, it sure is."

"Well it looks like we get to use your boat now Riku." Sora paused for a moment. "I still get to ride don't I?"

Riku laughed. "Whatever."

"Good."

Riku sat on the edge and then jumped down to the water, Sora and Kairi following suit. The three of them ran back towards the rowing boat on the beach.

"Make sure we test it out Riku!" Sora reminded him, making he and Kairi burst out laughing. Riku only scowled.

* * *

So, I'm pretty sure this is my longest chapter so far. It's not long by anyone else's standards, but for me, it's an accomplishment. Leave a review and it will be greatly appreciated. I won't be able to reply, because I'm leaving for Busch Gardens in a couple hours, but I'll reply to everyone on Wednesday or Thursday. Thanks for reading!


	8. More Dreams and the Mayor’s Brunch

Well, look at this. I think this is a pretty speedy update… for me. It's only been a little over a month. SIGH. I know, I'm horrible… but anyways: here it is!

* * *

**More Dreams and the Mayor's Brunch**

That night, Ayami, Sora, and Kairi sat at the dinner table, eating salad and rolls and having a good time playing 'I Spy' in the kitchen.

Sora ripped off a huge chunk of his roll and chewed on it, gazing around the kitchen for the blue thing his mom could see. Kairi giggled at the concentration on his face.

"Uh… the curtains!"

"No, and don't talk with your mouth full." His mother told him, trying to be stern but holding back a laugh.

As he swallowed, Kairi tried. "The tablecloth."

"Nope."

"The stars on the cabinets?" Sora guessed, sporting a now empty mouth.

"Nope."

"The blue dish in the sink?"

"My cup?"

"The towel draped over the oven handle?"

"No, no, and no." She told them both triumphantly.

"Ooh! One of the blue fish in the tank!" Sora guessed hopefully.

"No siree."

Kairi gazed around, and suddenly smiled, staring at Sora across the table. "It's his eyes!" She said triumphantly, and Ayami nodded.

"Hey that's not fair! I can't even see my eyes!" Sora complained. The two girls watched for a hilarious moment as he tried to see his irises.

"I win!" Kairi announced, getting up to clear her dishes.

"Aww, look at that. Sora _look_ at the miracle before us, someone who actually takes their dishes over!" Ayami teased her son.

"I take my dishes over sometimes." He argued.

"Keyword; sometimes." Ayami and Kairi giggled, as Sora hopped up to place his dishes next to Kairi's in the sink.

He stuck out his tongue. "See?" With that he sprinted away down the hallway towards his bedroom.

"Oh you better get back here young man! You know there is no exposure of your tongue while a lady is present!" Ayami called after the retreating Sora's back. "You better go give him a stern talking to Kairi."

The young girl giggled again as she followed Sora down the hallway. "You're in big trouble now Sora!"

She walked into his bedroom, but he wasn't there. She turned for a moment, glancing around the room, sure that she had just seen him walk in there. She walked a few steps into the room and over next to the bed. Suddenly, something grabbed her ankle and she screamed. Startled, she looked down as she heard muffled laughter from under the bed. Kairi lay down on her belly and came face to face with Sora, who was still chuckling.

"Sorry, I couldn't resist."

"Ha ha, you're so funny." She replied sarcastically, the corners of her mouth twitching.

Sora pulled himself out from under the bed.

"You know, I'm thinking of getting a hammock to sleep in, instead of this."

"Wow, that would be really cool!"

"Yeah, it'll be like when I go exploring the ocean."

Kairi sat down on the bed next to him. "You'll need a boat to do that."

"Don't worry; I'll just get Riku to build me one." Sora joked, smiling brightly.

Kairi laughed with him. "So what, are you going to just sail away from here?"

Sora lay down on the bed on his stomach, his chin resting on the comforter, nodding. "I already told you I was going to be a great hero one day."

"But not just of _this_ world, right?" Kairi poked him.

Sora smiled. "I'm going to be the king of the universe." He rolled over so that he was looking up towards the ceiling, which was covered in millions of plastic glow-in-the-dark stars. "And maybe I can find your world too, and you can see your family again."

Kairi sat still on the edge of his bed for a minute.

"I don't even remember them." She finally said, quietly, as she plucked at one of her bracelets.

"Well," Sora's tone was much more serious. "I don't remember my dad… that doesn't mean I don't want to see him."

They sat in silence for a little bit, feelings of sadness slowly creeping up inside Kairi. She could feel the lump rising in her throat, and before she knew it, a tear rolled down her cheek.

She felt Sora sit up next to her.

"Oh gosh! I'm sorry… I didn't mean to make you… I didn't know that…"

She shook her head and wiped away the single tear. She ran her hands through her short red hair, and sighed, shaking her head again.

"It's not you, Sora, it's just… I don't know, I mean… my whole life just started two days ago. I don't remember anything about before, just some odd dreams here and there… I don't know who I am."

"You're Kairi."

"Yeah, I am. But who is Kairi? Where does she come from? Where's her family?"

Sora scratched his head for a second. "Well, I'll be your family… and my mom, and Riku… and, gosh, you haven't even met Tidus or Selphie or Wakka. And anyways, if they love you, they'll be able to find you. That's just how those things work. But for now, we'll be your family."

Sora smiled at Kairi, and she suddenly flung her arms around him and hugged him tight. He was stunned for a second, but then he hugged her back, his smile growing wider. Kairi whispered her thanks, and then sat back and glanced out the window.

"It's all worse at night though. During the day, it's okay… but when I know I have to go to sleep soon, I feel sick… homesick, but without a home."

"Is it because of the dreams?"

Kairi shrugged. "There not really dreams, really… just, flashes of things. I don't even know if they're real."

"Do you see anything besides the castle?"

"Well, I've seen this garden, with a fountain… it's happy there. I don't know how I know, but it's a happy place."

Kairi pulled herself further back onto the bed so that she could lean against the wall. Sora pulled himself next to her and continued listening, fascinated by her stories.

"And, there's this old lady… telling stories, and talking about things. I can't understand her. I can't tell if I knew her or anything. Sometimes she's in the garden with the fountain, other times she's in this huge library under this staircase. She's happy too. Everything, really, is happy…"

They sat in silence for a little bit, both delving into the mystery in their own minds. After awhile, the late hour started to catch up to them, and their thoughts slowly turned more extravagant, until they had drifted into dreams. They both dreamt of castles, and gardens, and little old ladies, who liked to talk about… light, the origin of light… and the darkness.

* * *

Sora woke with a start. He sat up and looked around his quiet room. Funny, he didn't remember ever going to his room last night. The sun was just beginning to peek through his blinds, so he got up and pulled them open, enjoying the view down to the ocean that he could see through the trees in his backyard. Light glistened off of the waves, and he could hear the inviting calls of the seagulls. He knew that it was going to be a good day for their island.

Hearing voices in the kitchen, he left his room and walked down the hallway. Coming through the threshold of the kitchen, he found his mother sitting at the table on the phone. He quietly got himself two pancakes from the stack by the oven and went to join her.

"Well, yes, yes of course… No, that would be fine… Yes, she'll be very excited… I'm happy to hear that… Yes…Alright, at ten?... Okay, she'll be there… Oh, I'm sure you will. Thankyou… Bye."

Sora cocked his head to the side in question as Ayami put the phone down on the table. She laughed, and stole a bite from his pancakes.

"That was just the mayor's wife. Mr. Rayon called me earlier this morning to tell me, but this was just a formal invitation."

"What, what are you invited to?" Sora asked eagerly, repositioning himself in the chair.

"Well, the mayor and his wife have no children of their own, and they wanted to see Kairi, to think about… adopting her."

Sora swallowed his mouthful. "You mean, she's not going to live here anymore?"

"Well, no, that was never the plan… she's just staying here until we find her a better home."

"Oh."

"The mayor isn't sure though, he and his wife are going to decide today."

"So I guess I Kairi can't come to the island." His voice was laced with disappointment.

"No, not this morning."

Kairi came into the kitchen from the hallway and sat down at the table. Ayami got up and fixed her a plate of pancakes.

"Well, Kairi… this morning is very important."

Kairi questioned Sora with a look. He tried to give her his best 'just keep listening, it's not that exciting" look.

"The mayor's wife just called to invite you over to her place for brunch. She and her husband would like to meet you. They're… well, they're thinking of adopting you!" Ayami told Kairi with a large smile on her face.

Kairi's eyebrows rose in surprise, but she quickly composed herself and smiled at Sora's mom.

"It sounds exciting to meet them."

"Oh, yes. I know you'll like them, two of the sweetest people on Destiny Islands. Now, when you're finished with that, you'll need to go get showered and Riama, Riku's mother, is going to come by and drop off a dress for you to wear."

After Kairi had eaten her pancakes, Ayami ushered her down to the hallway, and Sora was left alone at the table. Remembering last night, he smirked as he took his and Kairi's plates over to the sink. He headed down to his own room and occupied himself with video games.

Shortly after Sora finally defeated the boss of the fire temple, the doorbell rang. He knew from experience that his mother would be too busy at a time like this to answer the door. So he saved his game, turned it off, and headed towards the front door. He swung it open to find Riama and Riku standing in the doorway.

"Hey there Sora." Riama greeted.

"Hello… My mom's in Kairi's room." He added as he spied the pink dress in her arms.

She laughed, ruffled his spiky hair, and then moved past him to head down the hallway, calling Ayami's name.

Sora turned to Riku.

"Hey."

"Hey."

"We're going to have to postpone our trip to the island until Kairi comes back."

"Why?" Riku turned his head slightly.

"Well, when she comes back, she can just come with us. We'll spend the morning in the forest, and go to the island this afternoon."

Riku shrugged. "If you have to wait for her."

Now Sora looked confused. "I don't _have_ to wait for her, I just want to."

Riku shrugged again and smirked. "Alright, whatever. Let' go."

The two boys ran out of the house and raced down the sidewalk towards the dead-end in Sora's street. They ran away from the shore, towards the center of the island. At the end of the road, they came to a trail that wound into the forest of palm trees. They ran down it, the shade of the trees creating a natural coolness. Bugs buzzed along trail and millions of chirping birds nested above their heads. They finally came to the tree house that they had build years ago. Riku pulled himself up the ladder with Sora right behind him.

Sora pulled himself up through the opening in the floor and went to the window sill of the large window that faced the ocean.

"Look Riku, they're still alive!"

He was referring to the two small caterpillars that were currently living on a green plant Sora had plucked out of the ground and waters in a small plastic container.

Riku laughed. "And they haven't even run away." He put his finger next to the larger green caterpillar and it slowly made its way onto his pointer. Once it was on, the pulled his finger up to his face and let the caterpillar crawl onto his upper lip.

"Look! I have a mustache!"

Sora doubled over in laughter.

"Wow! I want one!" Tidus's voice came from the opening in the floor. The small boy pulled himself up, followed closely by Selphie.

"Eww, gross Riku! Get that thing off your face! What if it bites you?"

"Relax Selph, caterpillars don't bite people." Riku assured her was he pulled the crawler off his face and placed it back on a leaf.

"Hey, where's Wakka?" Sora asked Tidus, because he lived next door to the boy in question.

"He's at the middle school summer orientation thingy." All four of them cringed.

"Well, Sora, where's Kairi?" Selphie asked him, clearly excited to meet the new girl.

Sora made another face. "She's going to brunch at the mayor's house."

"Why?"

"I think they're going to adopt her."

"Eww, isn't he _old_?"

They all started laughing. The good mood lasted a long time as the friends discussed random things. They finally got around to another exciting topic.

"I think we can finally say goodbye to this old thing." Riku said as he patted the wall of the tree house. "I mean look at us, barely all four of us fit. If Wakka and Kairi came, it'd be a nightmare. And anyways, we have somewhere better now."

"The island?!" Tidus asked excitedly, wanting to hear stories of the grand place he'd dreamed about the last two nights.

Sora and Riku nodded their heads excitedly.

"Yeah, we already have a whole bunch of plans for what we want to do. We're going again this afternoon, once Kairi is done."

"Cool!"

"That's so exciting!"

Riku proceeded to draw a rough map of the island in the dust on the floor and he and Sora began to explain some of the finer points of their ideas for a huge tree house, all of the bridges, the dock, and anything else Tidus or Selphie wanted to add.

In the middle of their eager planning, a loud beating sound began to drum on the roof of the tree house. Sora looked out the window and was dismayed to see large torrents of rain falling down outside. The morning sky had turned gray and he couldn't even see all the way to the ocean.

"Aww man!" He complained.

"Well… maybe it'll stop." Selphie said hopefully.

Riku looked at the watch he had received on his most recent birthday. "It's already twelve. Let's head back to my house and eat lunch. Maybe after that, it'll be clear enough to head out."

They all nodded in agreement and dropped down the ladder to the muddy ground. Putting their hands over their heads, they made to beeline it out of the woods and to Riku's house on the next street down. But as soon as Sora made one step out from under the protection of the tree house, the rain began to rapidly get lighter, and after a few moments, it was completely gone.

"Wow. That was the shortest rain shower ever."

Sora shook what little water there was out of his hair and then straightened up. The sun was breaking through the clouds, and if it weren't for the dripping tree leaves, it might not have rained at all.

"Well, we can still go get lunch."

They all nodded in agreement and then headed off down the trail.

* * *

Well, I know nothing really exciting happened in this chapter, but hopefully things will get more interesting next update. I'm thinking that there maybe three chapters left in this, but I'm not exactly sure at the moment. So now I'm going to go and work on the homework I've put off typing this for you all. Please review!


	9. I'll Keep You Safe

Alright! Here's the next chapter! I know it's been a while… like always, but things have really been active lately with the forum and community, and with a little, ah… encouragement, I was motivated once again to work on my story. I hope you guys enjoy it!

Thanks to Kai Saitou for beta reading this chapter! (saved me a lot of re-reading :P)

**Disclaimer**: I don't own it... if I did, one of the new Kingdom Hearts games would be on a console, not handheld.

* * *

**I'll Keep You Safe**

Sora, Riku, Selphie, and Tidus sat around the glass table in Riku's large, open kitchen, chewing on their peanut butter sandwiches. None of them were talking, their mouths closed by the sticky filling in their sandwiches, but the house was far from quiet. Loud screams echoed throughout the house, coming from the triplets' room. Riku's little sisters were putting up quite the fuss about getting their diapers changed.

Suddenly, Rayon's voice called down the hallway, "You get back here Krisa!"

Little Krisa came bursting into the room, toddling as quick as she could on unsteady legs.

"Riku! Could you get her? My hands are kinda… full!"

Riku grumbled, but got up and intercepted his little sister's daring escape. She squealed with delight as he picked her up, but then began to panic as she realized where he was taking her. She grabbed the piece of peanut butter sandwich that was left in his hand.

"Look out Riku!" Selphie called from the table, sitting in between Sora and Tidus, both with a look of bemused laughter on their face. Her warning came too late though, as the little hand smashed the peanut butter into Riku's hair.

"Ahh!" He cried, immediately setting her down on the ground and running to the sink. Krisa took her opportunity and bolted, although they didn't know where she planned to go. It didn't matter though, because as she ran out of sight into the entryway, the children heard the front door opening and Riama stepping inside.

"Why do you have a guilty look on your face Krisa?"

She came around the corner into the kitchen and saw her son desperately trying to get peanut butter out of his hair.

"Krisa?" She glared warningly at the small girl in her arms, who had on her most innocent expression. Suddenly, more cries were heard from down the hall.

"Rayon?" Riama called, heading down towards the noise.

More people were coming through the front door, and soon Ayami and Kairi came around the corner, talking excitedly.

"…so cute with his little tail"

"And his fur was so soft!"

"Now _I _want a puppy!"

"How was the brunch?" Selphie asked the two as they came in, "And… what are you talking about?"

"Oh, it was great… the mayor's wife was so hospitable, as always. And they absolutely adored Kairi!" Ayami replied.

"And we're talking about their new little puppy, Skyler! She was so cute!" Kairi replied excitedly. Her shyness seemed to have vanished, and she skipped into the room.

Ayami laughed and then noticed the trouble that was brewing down the hallway.

"Hey, I'm going to go free up Mr. Rayon for you guys. I know you all want to go to the island."

"Yes, yes, yes!" Tidus replied exuberantly, pumping his fist.

Ayami held back a laugh and then headed down to the triplets' room.

"So Kairi… what was it really like?" Selphie asked her friend as she sat down at the table.

"Well, they live in a huge house… it's very fancy and pretty. The dining room was all decorated, and the food was fancy. At the beginning… everything was sort of quiet and proper, I didn't really want to be there. But then we all started talking a lot, and Skyler came running in, and, well, it was really fun. The mayor and his wife are really funny and nice."

"So are you going to go live there now?" Sora asked, a little quieter than usual.

"Well I don't think right away, but eventually I guess." Kairi replied, picking up on the slightly sad tone in his voice. "But, I'll still be able to play every day… that won't change!"

"Oh yeah, well… I know."

"Alright kids! Kairi! You need to change, I brought some clothes in that bag I was carrying… you can go in the room at the end of the hall. Everyone else, get into to the car!"

"Alright!" Tidus exclaimed as he hopped up.

* * *

Rowing to the island had been a little bit of an adventure. All five of them _fit_ in the boat Riku had built, but the problem of balancing it had been a little trickier than they had imagined. Needless to say, no one made it to the shore dry.

"Yeah, maybe we should build another one." Tidus chuckled as they finally pulled up to beach.

"You mean, I'll build another one." Riku rolled his eyes.

"No man, we wouldn't do that to you! Wakka can help you!" Tidus thumped the older boy on the back.

"Ha ha, funny."

Tidus didn't reply; he and Selphie were gazing around the island.

"This is… amazing!" Selphie squealed.

"I know!" Tidus stared up at the tops of the trees. "You guys are gonna build a tree house way up there? Awesome!"

"Yeah, and we need to build a dock, and we were thinking of a bridge to that little island!" Sora said.

"You know what would be cool? A big platform between those two huge trees over there!"

"Yeah, and like a shack right here… with stairs to get up to the ledge you want to build the bridge from!" Selphie added.

"Cool!"

"As long as I don't have to do it all." Riku mumbled. Kairi laughed at him.

"Let's go up on that little island, you said there's a ladder?" Selphie asked as she headed for the water.

"Yeah I'll show you!" Riku walked after her, and Tidus followed.

Sora was about to follow, but he felt Kairi's hand on his arm. He turned back to look at her.

"What's up?" He was taken aback by her expression. She was looking down at the sand, with no smile on her face. She almost looked… scared.

"Kai… what's wrong?"

She looked up at him. "I… nothing's wrong. This is going to sound really stupid, but, I… don't know if I want to move in with the mayor."

She sighed and looked back down at the ground. "I shouldn't be saying this, after how nice they were."

"Do you not like the mayor and his wife?"

"No… I do. But, I'm so sad when I think about the place I left. I can't remember it… and I should. But I don't think about it so much when I'm with you, and your mom. I'm scared that if I leave you guys…"

Sora put his hand on her shoulder. An odd, unfamiliar feeling was rising in his chest. It made him want to hug her.

"Hey… it's not like that. You don't have to go live with them. And even if you do, you can come over every day, and we'll be spending so much time at this island… you won't even think about it." He felt that the roles had been switched from her comforting him earlier.

"Thanks Sora." She smiled at him as a single tear made its way down her cheek. It surprised him, and he instantly wanted to make her happy again.

"Hey I know what'll make you feel better! I have a secret place to show you!"

She perked her head up and grabbed the hand that Sora offered to her. He led her over by the waterfall to the cave that was hidden by the overgrown vines and plants. He pulled most of them aside and then stepped through, pulling Kairi in behind him. Once the plants covered the entrance again, it was pretty dark, and he felt Kairi's hands on his back.

They walked through the tunnel entry-way until it opened up into the larger cave. Kairi let go of Sora when they reached the light that filtered in through the cracks above.

"Wow… this is really cool!"

Sora's smile was huge as he watched Kairi feel the walls of the cave. "It's great, right?"

"Sora! Do you remember how your picture got washed away? On the beach?"

"Yeah."

"Well… if we draw in here… our pictures can't be washed away!" Kairi picked up a small black rock from the ground and scratched it along one of the walls. It created a long white mark on the stone. "Have you ever done this before?"

"No, but that's really cool!" Sora picked up his own rock and held it to the surface of a large boulder. "But, what should we draw?"

"We could draw each other!" Kairi kneeled down to a relatively flat surface near the bottom of the wall.

"Okay." Sora kneeled down next to her, rock in hand.

They set to work chiseling each other's faces into the wall, kneeling next to each other. They finally sat back to admire their work.

"Wow, that's really good Kairi!" Sora said, a little embarrassed by her skills.

"Yours is really great too!" Kairi said, turning to him. He raised an eyebrow and they both burst out laughing.

"No, I really do like it." Kairi said, still smiling widely. They laughed again. When their giggles subsided, they sat in silence for a moment.

"So… about my beach drawing… what were you going to draw in the last scene?" Sora asked, trying to start a conversation again.

"Oh, the hero kissing the prince of course. That always happens, you know."

Sora nodded, and felt heat rise to his face.

"Thanks again for what you said to me before. You really know how to make me feel better." Kairi said.

"I'll always be here to make you feel happy …and safe." Sora said quietly. He wondered if his cheeks could get any hotter. His question was answered when Kairi leaned towards him and kissed him on the cheek.

"Thanks." She whispered.

"I… uh, yeah… no problem." Sora spluttered.

They sat for a little while longer, feeling happy just to be where they were.

"Umm, do you think Riku's wondering where we are?" Kairi asked Sora.

"Oh yeah… probably." He replied, still a little dazed. He stood up and offered his hand to Kairi. She took it and he pulled her up.

The two walked back out into the sunshine, blinking in the blinding light. Sora put his hand over his eyes to see. He suddenly noticed Riku standing right in front of him, glaring.

"Wha-"

"I thought the cave was supposed to be _our_ secret? You weren't supposed to show it to anyone!"

* * *

So, what did you think? Please read and review so I can know what you liked and didn't like. I'm pretty sure the next chapter is going to be the last. I'm already working on it, so hopefully you'll see it sooner than usual. :P


	10. Friendship Is Forever

Well, here it is… the final chapter. Wow, I'm so happy right now that I've actually completed a multi-chaptered story. :D Even if it is one with no extensive plot.

I just want to say this right now. Thank you Kai Saitou!! You're probably the only reason I ever finished this, what with all the guilt trips you've sent me on and the 'updating your story three times' between my updates kind of thing. Lol, so yeah… this story is dedicated to you! Thanks a bunch… and no, this doesn't give you permission to hassle me about writing something else right away. :P

I also want to thank everyone who's reviewed, and everyone on my forum, and even everyone who's reading right now who's never left a review… because maybe today you'll change your ways and click that purple button! Or not… anyways, on with the last chapter!

* * *

**Friendship Is Forever**

"Umm, I'm going to go find Tidus and Selphie…" Kairi whispered as she hurriedly walked past Riku to where the other two were playing down the beach.

When she was gone, Sora put his hand behind his head and tried to look apologetically at the furious boy in front of him.

"When we found this cave… don't you remember? We weren't going to tell anyone about it? What happened to that?"

"I'm sorry Riku… I… wasn't thinking about that. I just wanted Kairi to be happy."

"Is she more important than a promise you made to me?"

"Riku!" Sora said, shocked, "It's not like I―"

"You know what, never mind." Riku turned away from him and walked away, the opposite direction of Selphie, Tidus, and Kairi.

Sora watched him go, feeling horrible about breaking the promise, but also justified in his argument that he really hadn't done anything wrong. He frowned and turned towards the other three kids. Selphie and Tidus were at the water's edge, splashing each other in the saltwater waves. Kairi was standing watching them, farther back, away from the water's reach. Sora headed over to them and stood next to Kairi.

"I'm sorry." She said softly.

Sora knitted his eyebrows. "It's not your fault at all."

"I shouldn't ha―"

"Hey guys! Quit standing there and come in the water! It feels so good in the sun!" Selphie called from the waves.

Sora turned to Kairi. "Come on!"

She shook her head and smiled at him. "Whatever, Sora."

The two ran down into the water, splashing into the shallow waves that lapped at the shore, higher here because they were closer to the open ocean than the main island.

"Check this out!" Tidus called as he dove into an oncoming wave, coming out the other side and shaking the water from his hair.

"Bet you can't stay up above the wave!" Sora teased him as all four of them waded out to their shoulders.

"Oh yes I can!" Tidus braced himself to jump over the next wave, but it came up just above his face and splashed him down. Sora kept himself up easily.

"That's not fair! You're way taller than me!"

"Uh huh… that's what they all say."

Tidus scowled at him.

"Seriously though, it's all in the timing, and you've got to keep your head up."

Tidus tried again and made it over the crest of the wave, whooping in victory. He immediately called for a contest to see who could stay above the waves for the longest.

Kairi and Selphie opted out and decided to judge the boys. Sora and Tidus stayed up for a long time, trying to make the other forget about the contest by talking about other things. The girls were in the middle of discussing whether or not a splash in the face Tidus had received counted as 'going under' or not, when a rather large wave caught the boys unaware and took them both under.

Selphie giggled. "Guess it doesn't matter now."

They came up spluttering.

"You went under first!" They both shouted in unison, pointing at one another.

"Hey!"

"No!"

"It was you!"

"Guys, guys! Aren't you both a little tired of this game?" Kairi broke them up, she and Selphie giggling.

Tidus thought for a moment.

"Ooooookay. New game!" Tidus called, immediately jumping on Selphie and dunking her. She came up screaming.

"Tiduuuuuuuuuuuus!"

The horseplay continued, the four friends dunking, splashing, chasing, and otherwise having a great time. They even played a few rounds of chicken, although Tidus and Selphie were no match to Kairi and Sora's combined height advantage.

Finally, tuckered out, they all lay down to float on their backs in the water. The sun was no longer at its highest point, but lower in the sky. Even while he had fun, Sora was thinking about Riku and wondering where he was. When they finally all headed back to dry land, he decided to go look for him.

"Hey Sora! Selphie and I've been wondering what's on the other side of the island, wanna explore with us?" Tidus asked.

"No… Kairi and I need to go talk to Riku."

"Are you guys fighting or something? 'Cause it's weird that he didn't swim with us."

"Yeah… well, not huge… I just need to talk to him."

Kairi gave Selphie a look to explain that it was nothing, so then she pulled Tidus's hand to come with her around the island. When they'd walked out of sight along the beach, Kairi turned to Sora.

"Where do you think he is?"

"I…," he paused for a moment, scratching his head. "Maybe on that little island?"

Kairi nodded. The two made their way back down the beach towards the nearly circular islet that rose out of the water. They waded back into the water, the waves now completely gone in the late afternoon. The crystal clear water reminded Sora of his first trip to the island with Riku, and that just made him remember the promise about the cave. He did feel bad, but he was glad that he'd made Kairi happy again. He knew that if Riku understood, then he wouldn't be mad anymore. He and Kairi made it around to the ladder, treading water when they could no longer reach. Sora pulled himself up on the ledge and then turned to his newest friend.

"Kairi, I'm going to go talk to him first, so you just stay down here until I call you, okay?"

"Sure Sora." She smiled at him. "I hate to see you two fight… because of me. So good luck."

Sora sighed again. "It's _not _your fault Kai."

"Okay, okay…," She shook her head, still smiling.

He turned back towards the ladder, pulling himself up rung by rung, noticing as he made his way up that Tidus and Selphie must have helped Riku make repairs to the unsteady thing earlier. When he reached the top, he slowed down… still not sure that he'd find his friend here, but not wanting to make Riku run away, not wanting to talk to him.

He peeked up over the ledge and sighed with relief. Riku was sitting near the middle of the island, his back resting slightly on the poor bent tree, that, to Sora's surprise, was still alive, a little tuft of green leaves poking out the top. His older friend was staring out towards the open ocean, his eyes detached, like he was thinking. Sora slowly brought his head into full view. Riku didn't look at him.

"So, you must've seen us swimming…" His attempt was met by silence.

"You should've come down. It was fun… I picked up Tidus and dumped him into the ocean." Sora tried to laugh, but all that came out was a sort of frightened chuckle.

Riku didn't answer him.

Sora pulled himself completely off of the ladder and went to stand next to Riku.

"Look… I'm sorry about earlier. I wasn't thinking, and I should have remembered that the cave was our secret. I don't want to fight over anything. I think…. I think if you knew how scared and sad Kairi was earlier, you'd understand."

Riku finally looked at him, turning his head slowly, keeping his mouth shut.

"You're still my best friend, and I'll never forget that… but Kairi's really cool too. Don't you think it'll still be an awesome secret, for all three of us to share?"

"Yeah… I guess. I just wish you would've asked me." Riku finally replied.

"I know, but I'm really sorry." Sora said, immediately jumping on the fact that Riku had spoken. "I promise that I'll never break another promise to you again, unless… you know, I ask permission, like I should've about Kairi. I just wasn't thinking."

"You never think Sora" Riku chuckled, standing up and offering his hand. "You gonna shake on that promise?"

Sora smiled with relief and shook his friend's hand. Then he reached back and scratched the back of his head, smiling sheepishly.

"Kairi's down at the bottom of the ladder. She thinks this is her fault… because she was the person I showed the cave to."

Riku headed over to the top of the ladder, but then paused.

"What was Kairi sad about?"

"Oh, well… she said that she was upset that she couldn't remember anything about her old home, but that she forgot about it when she hung out with us. And she was afraid that she'd think about it more if she went to live with the mayor."

"Oh." Riku looked down at the ground a moment, and then continued to the top of the ladder.

"Hey Kairi!" He called down, "I'm not mad at you! Just a little peeved at this blockhead up here!" He jabbed his thumb back at Sora, who smiled weakly.

A few seconds later, Kairi came up to the top of the ladder, looking at Riku.

"You sure you're not mad? I made him want to show me the cave."

Riku laughed good naturedly, all signs of the argument gone from his expression. "Oh yes, you're right. That was pure evil. Remind me to never speak to you again until you learn how to be a good person."

Kairi giggled and pulled herself onto the island. The three friends settled down to sit in the sand, their back against the small tree running parallel to the ground. They watched the sky as it turned yellow and orange.

"Man, it feels like today went by really fast." Sora mused.

"Ha! Maybe for you, but I had to go to that brunch this morning… before the ice was broken, time dragged on and on…" Kairi sighed.

"Yeah and you guys played in the water for like, three hours, and I was sitting up here the whole time."

"Well I don't get myself involved in anything boring, so time flies for me." Sora smiled smugly, putting his arms behind his head.

"You wanna throw him into the water Kairi?"

"Oh yes. Let's."

Sora jumped up to defend himself, and Riku and Kairi laughed at him, both remaining seated.

"Haha, a joke… I get it." Sora muttered sarcastically, sitting back down between his two best friends.

After a moment, Riku leaned forward to look at Kairi. "So, d'you remember anything else about your old home?"

Kairi's smile was gone as she stared at the ground.

"No…" She whispered.

Sora frowned at Riku, distinctly remembering telling him that this topic upset Kairi. He couldn't think why he would want to bring it up.

"Hey, that's okay." Riku told her. "Don't worry about it. I just think it's awesome that you've shown us that there's more out there than just these islands. Sora and I have always dreamed of adventuring, and now you've actually given us something to look towards, besides climbing to the top of the tallest palm tree, or diving to the bottom of a lagoon. There _is_ something more out there… thanks for helping us see that."

"Well… we don't know for sure, of course." Kairi answered bashfully.

"What I wouldn't give to be able to explore other worlds!" Sora said excitedly. He leaned back against the small tree. "And now we have the three of us to explore together, not just me and boring old Riku!"

"I'm going to ignore that."

Kairi laughed. "How would you even get to another world?"

"Hmm… I suppose if we sailed out into the ocean… we'd have to get somewhere." Riku said.

Sora nodded in agreement.

"That'd be an adventure." Kairi said, gazing out at the sun as it made its journey towards the horizon.

"An _awesome_ adventure! Sword fights, bad guys and heroes… could you imagine?" Sora said, his eyes shining.

"I just want to know what's out there…" Riku said.

"Well… we do know that we'll always have each other. No matter what, we're going to go on whatever adventure together!" Kairi said, nodding her head.

"Yeah, friendship lasts forever!" Sora agreed.

Riku rubbed his nose. "Aww, you guys are way too sappy."

Kairi and Sora laughed.

"But it is true. Kairi; I'm so glad you came to this island."

"Me too."

* * *

It's done! It's over! :D

I really hope you guys have enjoyed this. Thanks so much for reading, and leave a review!


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